Worming

[keetsms]

Has anyone used apple cider vinegar mixed in water to worm your chickens? Does it work?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Gonzo]

it's suspose to help. I use it mainly to help with vitamin absorption, and to help keep the waters for getting slimey.. I use food grade DE in the feed to worm them, and kill mites, fleas, and lice.

 

[trilyn]

This has been discussed at great length with excellent advice on another thread just yesterday! Here's the link and good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=201165&p=1

 

[threehorses]

Apple cider vinegar works best to help the digestive system have a healthy load of good gut bacteria, IF and only IF it's organic. It also corrects the pH of the gut helping good bacteria to thrive. Good bacteria crowd out excessive amounts of bad bacteria. Additionally they nourish the bird by breaking down what the gizzard ground into food that can be absorbed, creating vitamins (especially those of the B variety), and making enzymes that help break down specific nutrients from food.

In other words, beneficial bacteria of the sort found in organic apple cider vinegar and probiotics (plain yogurt, acidophilus tablets/capsules, prepared livestock probiotics) both feed your bird and help protect them against illness.

However, as huge a fan as I am of ACV, I do not use it as a wormer. If you wanted to go natural, try other products as outlined in the other post.

In a case of an infestation serious enough to see worms or cause frothy diarrhea, the only recommend protocol is to actually worm the birds with a wormer. Then after worming start again with your more natural preventatives.

When you worm in the above case, you must use a gentle wormer first - THEN a stronger broad spectrum wormer. Starting with the strong one can kill a bird with dead-worm-overload or anaphylactic shock.

My recommended protocol for as natural a program as possible is this:

Worm the birds with wazine 17% (piperazine 17%, never the dog and cat kind) one day as directed on the bottle. Withhold eating all meat and eggs for 14 days. Then treat all birds with ivermectin drop on. Thereafter use natural preventatives (DE, cayenne, etc) and only worm twice a year with ivermectin. Ivermectin has a large safety margin and you don't have to withdraw from eating eggs/meat.

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
That's too funny you're posting on this too! I sent her the thread from yesterday when you helped out hillbilly...and myself and God knows how many others!! lol I thought your advice to be excellent, very clear and concise!

 

[keetsms]

Thanks to everyone. Your info and advice is very helpful.

Mike

 

[threehorses]

Thanks, Trilyn.

Yeah I always like to give kudos where a product deserves it, but not advise where it's not going to work because then an otherwise wonderful product gets labeled as "junk" when it has a great place in the barnyard. I couldn't do without my apple cider vinegar.

And it's so much less expensive than other products that don't do quite as much - even organic.

Thank you for your kindness.

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
You're very welcome!

You're right-the price is awesome for such a beneficial product. And organic doesn't always mean squat but in this case, yeah it does!! lol